Monday, September 04, 2006

Will dropping Illiniwek cost UofI?

When Knox College in western Illinois got rid of its nickname 13 years ago, the school heard from plenty of angry alumni vowing never to donate to the school again.

But in the years since, the school said, donations have increased steadily, and even some of the angriest alumni have come back to strongly support the school.

"For most people, it's a thing of the past," Knox president Roger Taylor said.

University of Illinois sources have told the Chicago Sun-Times that this is likely to be Chief Illiniwek's last year dancing officially at school sporting events. At the same time, the school is planning to launch a major fund-raising campaign with a goal in excess of $1 billion.-snip-